As first reported last week at ZAGSBLOG, Akok Akok has enrolled at UConn for the spring semester and will join the men’s basketball program as a walk-on student-athlete.
The school made it official on Tuesday.
The 6-foot-9 forward is considered a Top 30 national recruit. He is eligible for the 2019 NBA Draft but won’t enter it.
Akok will be allowed to practice with the Huskies throughout the remainder of the 2018-19 season, with a plan of participating in collegiate competition as a redshirt freshman starting with the 2019-20 season.
“We couldn’t be more pleased to welcome Akok to our basketball family,” UConn coach Dan Hurley said. “He is a quality young man and an exceptional student-athlete. His length, his athleticism and his overall skill set will help increase the talent level of the program.”
.@_akok11 is expected to begin practicing with @UConnMBB today, but won’t play any games this semester, per source. Will suit up for the 2019-20 season despite being NBA Draft-eligible. pic.twitter.com/i2LhXolR62
— Adam Zagoria (@AdamZagoria) January 22, 2019
Akok spent the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons at Putnam (Conn.) Science Academy, graduating last spring after helping PSA to a national prep championship. He had begun a postgraduate year in 2018-19, but withdrew in November, deciding to begin college classes this semester.
Born in Sudan, Akok played AAU ball for Mass Rivals under coach Vin Pastore last spring and summer, helping the team reach the championship game of the Adidas AAU championships while earning a reputation as a high-level athlete and a solid three-point shooter.
“Having Akok in practice every day will help him get acclimated to the college game as well as provide high-level competition for our players,” Hurley said. “It’s a win-win.”
Akok adds to a 2019-20 UConn freshman class that already includes 6-4 guard James Bouknight and 6-2 guard Jalen Gaffney.
(Release via UConn)
